Songlines

Songlines is the definitive magazine for world music – music that has its roots in all parts of the globe, from Mali to Mexico, India to Iraq. Whether this music is defined as traditional, contemporary, folk or fusion, Songlines is the only publication to truly represent and embrace it. However, Songlines is not just about music, but about how the music fits into the landscape; it’s about politics, history and identity, and the artists who incite change through their music. Through its extensive articles and reviews, Songlines is your essential guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture, whether you are starting on your journey of discovery or are already a seasoned fan.

Songlines

Protect the pipeline

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

TOP OF THE WORLD • On this issue’s compilation – our curated selection of new music and bonus tracks from across the globe

Songlines @25 • On March 25, we held a concert at the Barbican to celebrate 25 years of Songlines. The evening featured sets from Le Vent du Nord, Divanhana, Balimaya Project and Salif Keita & Madou Diabaté. Thanks so much to everyone for coming and making the night such a success. Here are some of our highlights…

THE GLOBE AT A GLANCE

JE PENSE À TOI • Currently on the Songlines stereo…

IT’S HAPPENING

Ana Lua Caiano • After years of listening to traditional music and protest songs, Björk and Portishead, one of Portugal’s most exciting new singers tells Gonçalo Frota how she created a world all her own

Sunny in Budapest • ‘Wonders to hear’ is how they describe Budapest Ritmo’s festival of local and international sounds. Simon Broughton picks some highlights

Farewell to Merve

The 4 Corners and Centre of Ibibio Sound Machine’s Universe • Eno Williams and Max Grunhard, the duo at the heart of London’s Afro-electro powerhouse, plot a path from makossa and jùjú through jazz and post-punk to one of the world’s most famous singers

Holy Cowley • With Cowley Road Carnival returning for the first time in five years, Fred Waine takes a trip to Oxford’s melting pot

Sarāb • Megan Iacobini de Fazio meets the France-based collective uniting Middle Eastern traditions with contemporary jazz, climate activism and intense live shows

SPOTLIGHT Sara Curruchich • The Guatemalan singer-songwriter tells Catalina Maria Johnson about her determination to represent women and carry the knowledge of her Indigenous heritage through music. “It’s a revolutionary act,” she confides

SIMON SAYS… • Simon Broughton on the power of the tanbur in Iranian Kurdistan and Ali Akbar Moradi’s upcoming London performance

Next Issue…

FEEDBACK • Letters, shout-outs, comments, emails and everything in between

Maurice El Médioni (1928-2024) • Algeria’s boogie-woogie maestro

Thongsai Thapthanon (1947-2024) • Phin master and pioneer of Isan popular music

Hey MINISTER • Margareth Menezes, an icon of Afro-Brazilian music and Salvador’s carnival, talks to Oleno Netto about her European tour and her plans as Brazil’s new Minister of Culture

IMPERFECT RITUALS • Olivia Cheves speaks to composer and musician Laura Cannell about her compulsion to make music, why she had to find her own traditions and why she’d love to record an album in an aircraft hangar

WHO NEEDS LAND? • Irish vocal group Landless follow-up their much-loved debut album with a new set of songs focused on female protagonists. Emma Rycroft finds out its harmonious story

IAN LYNCH

THE BANJO MAKER • Builder and player of banjos, Jacken Elswyth, tells Spencer Grady how her intimate relationship with the instrument has changed her approach

PIPES OF JOY • Jo Frost speaks to Scottish smallpipes player Malin Lewis whose free,...